"He got three good chances," he told ESPN FC. "The first, he scored. The second one, he hit wide. A fit Luis would have scored that. And the third one, he scored to win the game.

"He never stopped fighting. That's Luis, he's never changed, not since I first saw him as a 17-year-old. I think England were afraid of him because they knew what he's done while playing in England."

England fans have been disappointed in their 2014 World Cup campaign which has seen defeats to Italy and Uruguay, but while Forlan concedes the fans have every right to be disappointed he believes there is enough talent to be hopeful of achieving more in the future.

He added: "They [England fans] watch one of the best leagues in the world and I think it's natural for them to have high expectations. They probably feel that they should be one of the best national sides.

"They have some good young players like Sterling and Sturridge. They could do really well."